Relax With What Is

12 Laws of Transformation • 40 Days to Personal Revolution

“Relax with what is” is a phrase that’s been stuck in my head recently - particularly because it reminds me of the lessons we learn in the Bhagavad Gita.

Photo: @activelydisruptivephotography Yogi: @carringtonkilgroe

You see, I work in an environment where your success is measured by the key results that you achieve. As someone who works in sales, everything I do comes down to numbers.

Did you hit your numbers?

Did you make “X” number of sales?

Did you accomplish your goals?

Being measured solely against those numbers can create a lot of stress and anxiety; after all, you have to try your hardest to make sure things turn out the way you plan for them to. But that’s not a realistic expectation. There are always going to be factors you can’t control in life - by trying to force things to be a certain way, all you’re going to do is create additional (and unnecessary) stress.

As the Bhagavad Gita (the first book of yoga) says,

“Let your concern be on your action, let it not be on the outcome of the action. Do not act only out of expectation of a result, but then do not slip into inactivity.”

This is a powerful reminder that at the end of the day, as long as I’m always doing my best (which is one of the Four Agreements), I’m allowed to release my inherent desire to control my environment. I’m also allowed to resist the urge to stress over the final outcome.

Any good salesperson knows that too much stress doesn’t translate to results. In fact, the more stress you carry, the more you’ll turn off the person you’re trying to sell. Which, of course, will make it all the more challenging to hit your goals.

This wasn’t an easy realization for me to accept, as I was raised to believe that you should always “just keep pushing” or, “try harder, and things will work out.”

But here’s my question: what if the thing you’re working towards isn’t meant to happen?

That brings me to the second part of “relax with what is.” In order for me to do that, I have to have complete trust in not only my higher power, but also in myself. When I’m confident that I am supported, I’m okay if things don’t go my way.

I have shown myself time and time again that I am able to bounce back from anything that hasn’t gone the way I planned or the way I wanted it to. I trust that if I’m truly working hard and doing my best, then whatever happens will be okay.

In Baron’s 40 Days to Personal Revolution he writes “when we relax in the face of stress, a power greater than ourselves can act through us.”

What would it look like in your own life to let go of the need to force and control? How would it feel to choose trust and ease instead? Try it, and let me know.